Total transparency here, I am not a vacuum seal expert. In fact, I don’t even own a vacuum sealer. My information on environmentally friendly vacuum seal bags is based solely on internet research, not real-life experience with the products.
Honestly, there is not a ton of information or products about ecofriendly vacuum seal bags, but I did manage to find some and compile my findings here.
I am going to begin by answering questions about conventional vacuum seal bags and then discuss more environmentally friendly options.
Can you recycle vacuum seal bags?
Yes, in most municipalities, vacuum seal bags are recyclable. They are recycled along with plastic bags. Just double-check the recycling guidelines in your particular area (google it).
Are FoodSaver bags biodegradable?
FoodSaver brand bags are NOT biodegradable. They are made from plastic and nylon.
Can you use any bag for FoodSaver?
No, according to the FoodSaver FAQ page, you must use FoodSaver bags:
To vacuum package with the FoodSaver®, you must use the FoodSaver® Bags. They are specially designed to be strong enough for vacuum packaging and the waffle pattern in the bag is a patented design that makes sure air does not get caught in pockets around the food. FoodSaver® Bags have five layers, including an outer layer of nylon. This configuration completely prevents air and moisture from getting back into the bag and prevents odors from getting out or in. Other plastic bags allow air to seep through.
If you want to use your FoodSaver® appliance to re-seal, but not vacuum package a bag (without removing the air first) you can use it on Mylar type (strong, thin polyester) or stiff plastic bags, not any other types. For example, you can re-seal potato chip bags.
Now let’s explore some ecofriendly vacuum seal bags.
Biodegradable vacuum seal bags
Here is a list of plant based, biodegradable vacuum seal bags.
Eco Pouch
- Plastic-free
- Compostable
- Biodegradable
- Suitable for lower temperature and shorter time sous vide preparation
This is the only biodegradable sous vide vacuum bags I found. Just keep in mind that the vacuum seal bags need to be kept at a lower temperature so they are not suitable for high heat sous vide preparations.
- Made with plant cellulose
- 100% compostable
- Can be heat sealed
- Not suitable for sous vide
ECO Flat HeaT Seal Bags
- Made from corn
- Compostable
- Can be heat sealed
- Not suitable for sous vide
That is about it, folks. Not a whole lot of information on ecofriendly vacuum seal bags.
If this bit of information piqued your curiosity into the wonderful world of vacuum sealers, I found a video to help guide your decision.
Vacuum sealer
I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know a whole lot about vacuum sealers. I don’t currently own one, so I am going to refer to trusty YouTube to help guide your vacuum sealer purchase. Here is a helpful video that compares and contrasts a number of different vacuum sealers. Enjoy!
I hope this article was helpful for those looking for more ecofriendly vacuum seal bags.
Do you use a vacuum sealer at home? Have you ever tried plant-based vacuum seal bags? Let me know in the comments below.
Cheers, and have an awesome day!
Great dose of info. Thanks! I was looking for some eco friendly vac bags and you are right that’s about all for the moment. I need to test eco pouch, it sounds good to use with Sous vide.
No problem! Please let me know how you make out with eco pouch so I can update this article. Thanks!
Sure i will. Right after crisis I assume. I’ve got few vegan products to distribute and was wondering about changing plastic.
Would be nice if these could be used with the common consumer vacuum bag sealers. Only the first one can be vacuum sealed but needs a chamber vacuum sealer. Also, flat heat, not flat head! LOL!
Hi Ken,
I know, I was surprised by how few options there are for eco-friendly vacuum seal bags. Thanks for the proofreading, it’s now changed!
A vacuum chamber machine doesn’t work for two last options, only for eco pouch? Is this correct or..?
Thanks for your question! The last two options, cellophane bags and eco flat heat seal bags, are not suitable for sous vide but can be heat sealed without immersion in hot water. Eco pouch is the only environmentally friendly vacuum seal bag that can withstand low-temperature sous vide. Hope that answers your question.
Hi there, I’m looking for a compostable, food grade vacuum seal bag that would house a prepared food that is freezer safe. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Hey Katie,
These were all the eco-friendly vacuum seal bags that I found. I know it’s not many, there should be more options! I do not have very much experience with vacuum seal bags myself, so if none of these are sufficient for your needs, I am not sure what other options there are. Sorry!
According to their website, FoodSaver brand bags are not recyclable.
FoodSaver bags are recyclable if your local municipality recycles plastic bags. You can find the information on the FAQ page here: https://www.foodsaver.ca/en_CA/service-and-support/product-support/product-faqs/bags-and-rolls/general-questions/bags-and-rolls-general-questions-faq.html?faq=bags-and-rolls-general-questions-faq-Q-A-3
Foodsaver Bags do not have an outlet like plastic grocery bags since they are a mix of nylon and polyethylene.(PE) bags. Grocery bags can be put into that loop. Careful with compostble eco biodegradable. They may have been verified to be compostable but there are no sites in the US that need the same time and temp needed for the bags to compost. In addition, when bags are found, they are most likely land filled due to no markers that would designate them to be in the compost. There is a recyclable chamber vac bag from Henkelman who make the machines. They have a PURE series.
I am looking for some eco friendly plastic sealing option in higher temperatures, also partially with high humidity, tropics (Kerala, South India). I want to pack dry fruits and nuts…. Is there already an option on the market? Thanks
These were the only eco-friendly plastic sealing options I could find. Unfortunately, there are just not a lot of options on the market. Sorry!
Hi Thorsten,
We are the packaging company in China which provide plastic sealing bag in higher temperatures, up to 220°C, would you like to leave your email then we can discuss more by email? Also, my email address is sales15@auspiciousxsl.cn. Thank you for your time and I am looking forward to hearing from you soon
Nice advert but plastik bags are easy to find… so Thanks but No thanks
Hello, did you ever find a plastic sealing option? I am looking for a way to reduce mold on dried fruit in Indonesia.
The only ones that have US shipping are the cellophane bags since they are form NH. The other 2 are from Canada and UK.
They do not have US shipping options. I will try to call the factory to see if that is a possibility.
frustrating to not be able to find a local source.
I empathize with your frustration! It still surprises me how many products do not have eco-friendly options or if they do, they are few and far between and hard to get. I commend you for going the extra mile and contacting the company. It’s people like you that are putting in the work in hopes that eco-friendly products become more easily accessible. Thank-you!
The Eco pouch site says they are not able to be used with domestic vacuum sealers 🙁
That is too bad. Thanks for letting us know!
Apparently, Foodsaver is now saying that the bags are not recyclable:
“No, FoodSaver® Bags & Rolls are not recyclable. Please follow the disposal guidelines and requirements of your local municipality.”
https://www.foodsaver.com/service-and-support/product-support/product-faqs/bags-and-rolls/general-questions/bags-and-rolls-general-questions-faq-Q-A-3.html”
Sorry, corrected link:
https://www.foodsaver.com/service-and-support/product-support/product-faqs/bags-and-rolls/general-questions/bags-and-rolls-general-questions-faq-Q-A-3.html
This is what I found on the FAQ section of FoodSaver: Yes, the bags are recyclable under the “Other” category. Please follow the recycling guidelines and requirements of your local municipality. Link here: https://www.foodsaver.ca/en_CA/service-and-support/product-support/product-faqs/bags-and-rolls/general-questions/bags-and-rolls-general-questions-faq.html. My advice is to follow your municipality’s recycling rules. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.
Hello, due to my long experience in packaging company I would like to share my opinion: on market I haven’t seen recycled bags for vacuum sealer machine like Foodsaver because they use in production two type of polimer PA/PE – but … on the market are bags fully recycled dedicated to vacuum chamber sealing machine where product is placed into vacuum chamber.
These bags are dedicated also for sous vide as well as traditional oven up to 220 degree (Celsius)/1,5 hour – I have such bags in my home and bags are made from mono-PET material special design for ovenable, cooking and vacuum application. It is made by one of US company and we sealing in Europe eg in Poland
Thanks for your opinion!
Since there don’t appear to be any biodegradable bags for the vacuum sealer, I am experimenting with the reusable ones ( they require a different kind of vacuum device though). I’ve used them for sous vide before, and they work fine, but are hard to clean. I just got a delivery of meat, and I’m going to try to freeze a couple with them and see how they hold up.
Thanks for the info! Please update us on how your testing went. Cheers!
I’m interested to see if we could get a sample of biodegradable vacuum seal bags, food vacuum plastic packaging bags. Please do let me know if you have this product and how I go about getting a sample.
Thanks,
Monique
Sorry, I don’t actually have any samples of the bags.
Not sure if this came out after you wrote this article, but Amazon has a compostable vaccuum seal bag (has a roll version too for larger sizes) called VestaEco. Claims to be able to be used by any sealer. Was wondering if you’d looked at that option. I’m about to try them, even though they’re pricier than the rolls I normally buy.
see above comment. their certifications are for industrial which isnt being done in the US, so more of a green wash than truth
Hi Kathy! Just checking in to see if you (or anyone else here!) has any sort of update on this topic? Thanks 🙂
I am a gluten free, organic, oat grower and processor of the oatmeal products. I originally went with a “fully biodegradable”, plastic packaging for my products, and discovered there is no “fully biodegradable- compostable” prducts out there . Could you give me any connections to stand up pouch manufacturers, that offer a complete compostable stand up pouch, and that has compostable labeling, thank you so much !!
Just saw this; anyone have any feedback on it? https://www.wevactech.com/custom/biovacbag?gclid=Cj0KCQiAlMCOBhCZARIsANLid6YdXoIglL3JREeSktM5vOcwf5cQb_SrxRIfqoiXkuOfA-AqYxbYv7UaAkepEALw_wcB
Ok I would hope that my comment would get stickied to the top because I just can not believe how lazy and wasteful people are are these days and what a throw away world we live in. Food Saver bags are most certainly recyclabe. Reusing is the ultimate in recycling. I make my bags longer. When we open the bag we very carefully cut it open along the seal and then the bag get washed and reused again and aain and again. I am careful when sealing/opening and can get half a dozen or more uses per inch of material. If a bag gets punctured, I patch it. I also don’t see how someone who does not vacuum seal would even think about writing an article on enviromentaly friendly vacuum seaaling.